Book VII "The Battle For Earth" Chapter XXXVI "The Calm" Skyfire rocketed through the air towards the Autobots Volcano base. He was flying low to stay below radar, and was staying in canyons and valleys as much as he could. Optimus Prime leaned back against the side of the cargo hold. It was fortunate that the Decepticons had not destroyed or utilized the base. Megatron had probably figured that it was booby trapped. If that was the case, he had figured correctly. "We'll be landing at the Volcano in one minute", said Skyfire. "Blitzing, you come with me", said Optimus. "The rest of you, stay here. I want to be on our way to Washington in just a few minutes." Blitzwing and Optimus grabbed Skyquake and carried him into the base. Once inside the base, Optimus and Blitzwing put Skyquake in a cell, and energized the bars. "Stripes are definitely your color Skyquake", said Optimus. "Yes", said Blitzwing, "I could get used to seeing him in there." Skyquake tried to move, and to talk, but he could not. He would have revenge on them for this, he vowed to himself. Blitzwing and Optimus walked towards Percepter's lab. "So, Optimus, what is your plan", said Blitzwing. "Some years ago, Percepter had a machine that could make anything larger or smaller. We used it against Megatron when he found the heart of Cybertron. I had Percepter adapt it to a small device that could be worn by an individual. It will allow us to become small enough to get into the White House undetected. By the time we return to our normal size, Megatron won't know what hit him. We will also need something to incapacitate Megatron with. Percepter developed a device that can temporarily block motor control, but it must be placed on the neck. He called it a paralyzer. Not very effective in a battle, but for this, with the element of surprise on our side, it might work." "An excellent plan", Optimus. Optimus hoped Blitzwing was right. Unbeknownst to them, in his cell, Skyquake managed to reroute power to his auto repair system, which slowly began to re-activate him. Rodimus raced towards the bridge. A message from Optimus Prime was just what he had been waiting for. Rodimus entered the bridge. The view screen was blank. "What happened", said Rodimus. "We thought it was a live transmission when I called you", said Ultra Magnus, "but it was a recording sent only once, we were lucky to receive it at all." "Play it back", said Rodimus. The screen flickered to life showing Optimus Prime. "This message must get to Rodimus Prime, and is for him and Ultra Magnus only." The message paused, waiting for Rodimus to enter his security code. "Clear the Bridge", said Rodimus. Everyone but Ultra Magnus left the bridge. Rodimus sat down in the command chair and entered his access code. The message continued. "Rodimus, we have a plan to take back Earth. At exactly 2:05 Eastern Standard time on Thursday, you must lead our forces in an attack on the Australian continent. We will bring down the defense shield in that area only at exactly 2:05 for fifteen minutes. You should not encounter any strong ground to air resistance. The Australian defense power grid will be brought down just before the shield. Once you land, you have three priorities. First and foremost, you must dispatch a strike force to Houston Texas. We will have taken over the Decepticons satellite control facility there. It must be held at all costs. Second, I will need reinforcements in Washington, at the White House, I want you to lead that force. Ultra Magnus will be in charge of securing the Australian continent as a base of operations. Once Australia, Washington, and the satellite facility in Houston are secure, we will formulate a plan to take back the rest of the planet. There is an additional complication. We have allied ourselves with a group of Decepticons. Some of the Decepticons are members of a secret organization called the First Circle. Ask Kup about it. I am sure he will remember hearing about them. The members of the First Circle are not to be attacked. Coded in this message is a scanning frequency. Scan all Decepticons before they are attacked, and any with the correct signature are not to be harmed. They will either join you against the other Decepticons or lay down their weapons. They are not to be taken prisoner. We have a tremendous opportunity here. We don't want any misunderstandings. Rodimus, I do not know exactly what your situation is, and I have no way of knowing if you will get this message or not. If you do not get this message in time to lead the attack, then our mission will not have succeeded. In that event, as my successor as Leader of the Autobots, you must prepare Cybertron. It will be only a matter of time before Megatron tries to take Cybertron, and with the resources of the Earth at his command, he will have an incredible advantage. In any event Rodimus, good luck. Till all are one." The screen went dark. Neither Ultra Magnus or Rodimus spoke for several minutes, then Rodimus broke the silence. "Ultra Magnus, get Arcee, Blurr, Blaster, Kup, and Spike, together for a meeting in one hour." "Understood", said Ultra Magnus. On the continent of Australia, the Decepticon team had set up a base of operations in a cave not far from the main power station. They had already managed to place most of the explosive charges. Blastoff, Brawl, and Octane were busy assembling a satellite connection so they could see Megatron's address. "Finally, it's all finished", said Octane. "Now we will be able to see Megatron's face when Optimus and Blitzwing take over the broadcast", said Brawl. Blastoff leaned back against the side of the cave. "Something wrong Blastoff", asked Octane. "I don't like this", said Blastoff. "I was willing to betray Megatron. I don't think he should be our leader after all that happened, but to attack our comrades, especially with a sneak attack like this...I don't know, it just doesn't seem right to me. It didn't help any when Skyquake was going to betray us. He had to have a reason." "So what are you going to do Blastoff", asked Brawl. "Are you going to detonate the charges on time?" "Yes, I will. At this point, Megatron will never let us rejoin the Decepticons, so I guess we have nothing to loose." Meanwhile, in Houston, the Autobots were preparing a strategy for getting into the satellite control center and taking it over. They were gathered just outside of Houston in an abandoned warehouse. "I think I have a plan", said Hound. "Good, we going to smash our way in", said Grimlock. "Thanks for the suggestion Grimlock, but I think something a little less direct is in order", said Hound. Protectobots, as Defensor, you will fly us to the control center." Hound produced a large hologram of the control center. "We don't need to take over the entire installation, we only need the satellite control room, and the communications array. They are located on the east end of the complex. I will use my holographic generator to make us look like a cloud. By the time they realize what's going on, we will already be in position. Protectobots, you must put up a force field over the array and control room." "We won't be able to hold it long once the Decepticons start their attack", said Blades. "I have that taken care of", said Hound. Percepter, you will stay with Defensor. A main energy conduit flows right by the array. You can connect Defensor into it, and use it to boost the shield. Considering the amount of power there, the shield should hold for at least an hour. Hopefully reinforcements will show up before that." "What if they shut off the power", asked Percepter? "That's a good question", said Hound. "They won't", said Streetwise. "If they shut that down, then they loose all of the base's defenses. They won't know that there are only eight of us, so they won't risk opening themselves up to further attacks." "Alright then, Grimlock and I will deal with any resistance from the command room, and take control of the satellites", said Hound. On the Autobots Command ship, Rodimus Prime headed towards the conference room where he would show the others the message from Optimus Prime. He was not sure he should play the end of the message where Optimus mentioned that he would succeed him as leader of the Autobots. It was assumed that he would one day take over for Optimus, since that seemed to be what the Matrix wanted, but he didn't think he was ready for it. Rodimus had no confidence in himself. If he could not see himself as a leader, how could anyone else see him as a leader? When he arrived at the conference room, everyone was there as requested. Daniel was there also. "Alright everyone, I'm going to cut to the chase. Ultra Magnus, play Optimus's message", said Rodimus. The screen came on, and the message played. "Now, let's all be clear on this. At exactly 2:05, I will lead all Autobot forces through the shield. Ultra Magnus, you will take our main force and secure the Australian continent. Kup, Blurr, you will take a force to Houston to secure the satellite control center. Take Omega Supreme, and the Dinobots. Blaster, Arcee, you will come with me. We'll take the Aerialbots and Sky Lynx. Spike, you will remain here with the Earth Defense Forces. I will signal you to land when we have control of Australia and the Satellite Control Center in Houston." "They aren't going to like that", said Spike. "Well, they'll get over it", said Rodimus. "Alright everyone, let's get ready." Everyone left the room, except Spike and Daniel. Rodimus sat down at the conference table. "So how are you two doing", asked Rodimus. Daniel looked up at Rodimus. "I'm sorry Rodimus, I've been such a pain", said Daniel. "I didn't mean to take it out on you. "Daniel, you don't have to be sorry. What are best friends for", said Rodimus with a smile.